The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman (★★★★★)
Print • Owned (Barnes & Noble) • Mystery • 2021
Short synopsis: When Elizabeth receives a plea for help from an old colleague entangled in a deadly mess involving stolen diamonds and a violent mobster, the Thursday Murder Club springs into action. But as the bodies pile up, the team must outwit a ruthless killer who won’t hesitate to silence them first.
I read the first book of this series (appropriately titled The Thursday Murder Club) and was underwhelmed. I had a hard time keeping everyone straight and found the mystery to be a bit convoluted. But people continue to rave about this series, and I wanted to at least give the second book a try before calling it quits entirely. And, wow, I am so glad I did because this book was excellent! I was riveted from beginning to end, and I kept being surprised by the twists and turns of this book. Every time I thought I had figured things out, something new would happen to throw me off the scent. I found it much easier to keep all of the characters straight this time, and found myself falling deeply in love with all of them. They are such delightful characters and I’m excited to read the next book in the series soon!
The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett by Annie Lyons (★★★★☆)
Audiobook • Hoopla • Fiction • 2020
Short synopsis: Eighty-five-year-old Eudora Honeysett has decided to end her life on her own terms—until a spirited ten-year-old and a kind neighbor draw her into an unexpected friendship that rekindles her joy and forces her to reconsider what it means to truly live.
This book was unbearably sad at times, but also hopeful and sweet. Eudora Honeysett is a woman who has had a hard life and is now alone and ready to die on her own terms. She’s going through the process of assisted death by a company in Switzerland, but in the midst of that, she befriends her new neighbor Rose—an energetic, sweet, and delightfully odd child who I absolutely adored. She was such a great contrast to Eudora’s grumpy nature! Their intergenerational friendship was unexpected yet so sweet and lovely.
This novel explores aging, death, and what it means to have a dignified end-of-life process. My anxiety is rooted in a lot of these issues—thinking about my own aging process (and not having children to take care of me when I’m older), as well as knowing my mom is aging and I will one day be responsible for her care. This book helped me reframe those fears. It doesn’t have to be scary or sad, but rather it can be a beautiful celebration of a life well-lived. It’s also a powerful call to take care of our elderly population and to think about what a dignified, happy aging process will look like for me (and my mom). And it’s a reminder to keep my heart open for all kinds of intergenerational friendships and to focus on building a life that brings happiness now. All in all, this book will provide you with a lot of food for thought. (Recommendation source: Sarah’s Book Shelves Live.)
The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren (★★★★★)
Print • Owned (indie) • Contemporary Romance • 2024
Short synopsis: Three years after a fake college marriage, starving artist Anna and wealthy heir Liam must pretend to still be happily wed so he can claim a $100 million inheritance—only to discover their long-buried feelings might be more real than they ever expected.
I inhaled this romance! It was incredibly fun, and the private island setting for Liam’s sister’s lavish wedding gave me Crazy Rich Asians vibes. Anna is someone who doesn’t exactly fit into Liam’s ultra-wealthy world, made worse by the fact that he told his family that Anna is a doctor (since she was a premed student when they met, and he didn’t know she changed her major to art). This is definitely one of those “wealthy people behaving badly” stories, which isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I devour these kinds of books. The wealthy people in this book have nuance to them, though, and I appreciated that. I loved the romance between Liam and Anna, and whew, were those sex scenes hot. This is not a closed-door romance! I also loved the way everything wrapped up—the dark moment was believable, and it was resolved quickly and maturely without relying on an annoying miscommunication trope. All in all, a deeply satisfying romance! (4.5 stars, rounded up to 5.)
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Oh yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed the Osman so much! I have a huge soft spot for the Thursday Murder Club series and I want everyone to like it as much as I do.
I am so glad I loved the second book! I was worried I was going to be one of those outliers with the series, but now I can’t wait to keep going!
Wow, your reading life has been on point lately! I’ve just finished several mysteries (including an Agatha Christie re-read) and am starting… another mystery. I really should branch out.
Hey, you like what you like! And these days, opting for comfort reads is what we need!
the Paradise Problem…. I absolutely ADORED this book!!!! I need this to be a Netflix movie/series. I can see the glam of it all! It was just the best summer read
I would LOVE for The Paradise Problem to be adapted. It would be GREAT as a movie on a streamer!
I was underwhelmed by the first Osman book, too. It was fine, but not great. People in my comments recommended the audiobook, so if I ever get around to it, I’ll probably do that. Maybe that would be easier for me to keep track of everybody?
It couldn’t hurt to try the second book on audio. I find it harder to keep track of a lot of characters when I’m listening on audio, but it might work better for you!
I should read that Christina Lauren book – I haven’t read something by her in such a long time! I also loved that 2nd book. I loved the young character!
I just finished “The Dark Maestro” which I would say is “fine.” Now I am reading “Kate and Frida” which I am really enjoying. It’s set during the early 1990s when there was a war in Bosnia. I know so little about that conflict but I feel a personal connection to it because a neighbor on our block fled Bosnia with his family as political refugees. Now it makes me want to ask him more questions about that time (respectively, of course). He’s probably 5 years younger than me so there is a chance he has no memories of that time. But the writing about it is so well done and makes me think about the conflict in Israel/Palestine. The book is told in epistolary format which makes it extra engaging for me!
I want to read both of those books, but especially Kate and Frida. I adored her other novel (I forget the name!).
Christina Lauren is always good for a quick, satisfying romance, IMO!
I was reading this and thought “I should read that Eudora book” then I realized I HAVE READ THAT EUDORA BOOK. And I loved it! It was lovely.
Christina Lauren is hit or miss for me. Weirdly, I don’t love open-door sex scenes. I know! Me! The person who gives all the details of my life! But usually I skim past them if it’s a good story. I know that’s an unpopular opinion, but I like less spicy. Only one chili pepper please!
This is WILD to me, Nicole, because haven’t you read books about people who have sex with doors? And bears? And other weird things?! LOL. I would have not have thought you were a closed-door girlie!
AND ALSO DON’T FORGET SANTA CLAUS. I know! It’s a weird quirk of mine.
To take my mind off things here in Chelyabinsk, I have finished Martyr! by K. Akhbar, and it was just a 3 out of 5, I almost did not finish it. Now I am with Dean Koontz, his first book of Jane Hawk series, and I’m loving it. It’s faster, and more interesting.
I am keeping my mouth shut but I can tell that things are not good here… I’m just sitting and reading blogs.
I definitely think you need to lean into comfort reads right now – anything that will allow you to take your mind off what’s going on and let you sink into a fictional world!
Yay, I thought The Paradise Problem was so fun!
Such a great escapist read!